No room at the shelter

On a single day last year, nearly 100 people came to domestic violence shelters in the state and were told there wasn't room for them, according to a report this month by the National Network to End Domestic Violence.

Every year, the agency takes a 24-hour census of domestic violence shelters across the country on a random date. This time, the network looked at 1,649 programs nationwide on Sept. 17.

On that day, more than 66,000 victims of domestic violence received help from shelters nationwide, 855 in Connecticut. However, the census also found that about 10,000 more victims were told they couldn't be helped because of inadequate resources.

In Connecticut, 103 requests for some sort of service were made those coping with abuse that couldn't be met. The majority of those people -- 98 -- were seeking shelter or transitional housing. This is the highest amount of unmet need the census has unearthed in the state since it began in 2006, said Karen Jarmoc, executive director of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, which represents the state's 18 domestic violence organizations. (The national census examined only 15 Connecticut shelters.)

That's not surprising, as more people have become aware of the domestic violence services offered in the state, she said.

"Clearly, the need for housing is a huge issue," Jarmoc said. "The minute a bed becomes available, it's filled."

Though the National Network census didn't specify the number of people turned away from individual shelters on the day studied, the Connecticut coalition had statistics about service denials for fiscal year 2013. During that period, which ran from July 1, 2012, to June 30, 2013, the Center for Family Justice in Bridgeport was unable to shelter nine people due to a lack of beds. At Women's Center of Greater Danbury, there were 45 denials due to a lack of beds, and there were 26 such denials at the Domestic Violence Crisis Center in Stamford.

Greenwich doesn't have a shelter, but the domestic abuse services program at the Greenwich YMCA connects victims with short-term shelter in safe homes.

It didn't experience a lack of beds last year.

Jarmoc explained that a "denial" doesn't mean a victim was turned away from the shelter with no further assistance. She said even when a bed isn't available, advocates at domestic violence centers "try to make sure safety needs are met until they can find shelter."

Melanie Danyliw, director of training at the Women's Center of Greater Danbury, said when a bed isn't available for a new client, the center tries to provide alternative housing, either at another shelter, a hotel or other place.

"Nobody is ever turned away at the door and has to figure out what to do by themselves," Danyliw said.

The state's shelters are typically at 95 to 100 percent capacity, Jarmoc said. That's because of increased awareness, and a lack of affordable housing for domestic violence survivors and their families. If these clients don't have a safe, cost-effective place to live, that increases the length of time they stay at the shelter.

That's been the case at the Center for Family Justice in Bridgeport, where president and CEO Debra Greenwood said an average stay at one of the center's safe homes used to be two to four weeks. Now, it's two to four months.

"We continue to find alternative places for victims to stay; however they do not have the high level of safety and services our safe homes can provide, with 24/7 staffing and monitoring of the clients using our facilities," Greenwood said in an email. "This past year, we were fortunate to have a donor provide us with a three-family home for transitional living that provides eight to 10 beds for families, which we are extremely appreciative of. However, the need for more funding to increase the capacity, facilities and staffing to provide safe living environments for individuals fleeing an abuser remains a high priority."

Jarmoc also cited the need for more funding, saying domestic violence shelters in the state have only received a 1 percent cost-of-living adjustment since 2008. In that time, she said, the cost of providing services has risen steadily.

"It's very, very difficult to meet the this growing need with reduced resources," she said.

More Information

24 hoursIn the one day studied by the National Network to End Domestic Violence, domestic violence programs in Connecticut:Served 855 victims of domestic violence;Housed 303 people in shelters or transitional housing;Provided 552 adults and children with non-residential services, including counseling, legal advocacy and children's support groups;Answered 183 hotline calls; Were unable to meet 103 requests for service